Unlike Any Other
by Gnosis777
Summary: Carlos aims at being a great Pokemon Trainer, but as he'll learn while traveling, things won't always go the way he'd expect. He'll encounter situations unlike any other he'd imagine possible. There will be adult and homosexual themes throughout most of the story, possibly human-pokemon relationships. Chapters will range from T to MA ratings.
1. Unlike Any Other - Chapter 1

Author's Note:

This series starts out at the Sevii Islands, a group of seven islands. In case you aren't familiar with the location, it was introduced in the FireRed, LeafGreen games. is a good website to look at the PokeEarth if you really want to imagine the location.

Also, as a word of warning: this story will contain mature content, for 18 year olds and older. It will include violence (not gory or anything too dramatic), sex and homosexual themes.

Introductions seem long, but they are necessary. I hope this one doesn't bother too much

...

Unlike Any Other: Chapter 1 – Humble Beginnings

...

A lone Pokémon Trainer confidently walked on a dirt path under the trees of a thick forest. It was late and darkness was setting in. Despite the time, the trainer proceeded with a small degree of caution. If anything, he acted as if traveling in a forest at late hours was no big deal. A branch suddenly snapped behind him, causing the trainer to turn towards the noise.

"Who's there?" He called. The light rustling of leaves from the wind answered back. The trainer shrugged and turned back to his path.

Suddenly a nearby bush shook violently, followed by a howl. The trainer's confidence faltered and he broke into a run. Sounds of pursuit pounded in the trainer's ear as he ran down the path. More distinctly, he could hear heavy paws, wolfish panting and bloodthirsty snarls accompany the treading of his sneakers.

The trainer's foot suddenly caught a loose root, bringing him down onto the unforgiving forest floor. He yelled out in fear seconds before a pack of Mightyena descended upon him.

The scene switched to a bird's eye view of the same forest, only this time it seemed much more serene and calm than its sinister counterpart shown a few seconds ago. The video continued on a smooth and slow glide across the scenic forestry and mountainside.

"Hello future Pokémon Trainers" A narrator spoke. "Welcome to our third segment of the educational video series 'The Real Pokémon World'. We will do our best to teach you about the dangers you may face and how to keep yourself and your Pokémon safe. In this segment..."

Carlos blinked as Professor Redwood turned the classroom lights on before turning off the TV.

"Well students, since class is almost over, and we've already seen the video, I'll give you these last five minutes to talk with each other. I'll be grading your final exams at my desk if you have any question." He walked to his desk. "Oh, and remember to report to the One Island Pokémon Center at nine a.m. for the second part of your exam tomorrow. Don't be late."

Carlos began putting his school supplies away. Carlos, at seventeen years old, didn't stand out much when in a crowd of others his age. He was above average height and had a slim build. His hair was black, his eyes were brown, and a few girls had called him cute and attractive, although they didn't interest him in the slightest. Carlos leaned the other way anyway.

He picked up his packet labeled 'Final Exam Review Material' and sighed. This was supposed to be the last day of school; no more worrying about assignments and tests after this final class. Although according to Professor Redwood, it wasn't over until after both parts of the final exam were finished.

In hindsight, Carlos could have been spared the frustrations of high school by enrolling to Trainer's school when he was twelve. According to the Pokémon League rules, a person had to be at least thirteen if they wanted to become a trainer, and only then they had to have a special license to legally handle Pokémon. Before then, they had to satisfy the yearlong curriculum of any certified Pokémon Trainer's program to get that license.

Instead, Carlos had continued his regular education. Three Island High School provided an education like any other public high school, but it also worked with the Pokémon Trainer's School to give the training that was necessary and helpful for any aspiring Pokémon trainer. He could take Pokémon classes required for his Trainer license alongside his regular high school classes, so by the time he graduated from high school, he could become trainer licensed.

A Trainer with a high school education. It wasn't uncommon, but it was his parent's idea.

Carlos's parents were the best that any kid could have. It wasn't because they spoiled him, but because they cared deeply about him. Both his mother and father worked hard for them to live comfortably and happily, which wasn't too difficult considering Carlos was an only child.

Carlos lived with his parents on Six Island. His mom worked as a maid and cook at some rich person's mansion at Resort Gorgeous on Five Island. His father worked as a fisherman that mostly travelled around the islands during work. They gave their full support in all of Carlos's endeavors and goals, and only on few occasions did they ever overrule his desires, on grounds that they choose what was best for him.

This was how Carlos ended up in high school. When he was twelve, he asked to be enrolled in Trainer's school. His parents refused. Carlos wasn't as patient then as he was now. He realized that with a high school education, if he ever failed to become a great trainer, it gave him an advantage in getting a good job or continuing on to college. His parents didn't want him to make the same mistake they made when choosing training over education.

Overall though, Carlos's life was a calm and relaxing existence in the Sevii Islands. For one, he loved the sea and could go swimming whenever he wanted. There were also some forests where it was safe enough to camp out and explore with friends and family on dull weekends.

The bell rang and Carlos followed the crowd of students out the door. Professor Redwood nodded at students who were saying good-bye for the day.

"Carlos, do you have a moment?" He asked without looking up when Carlos passed by his desk. A few students grumbled as Carlos pushed out of the swarm.

"Yes Professor?" Carlos asked. Professor Redwood seemed to be finishing grading an exam, although to Carlos it seemed that he was waiting for the last of the students to march out the door. Two seconds later, they were alone.

Professor Redwood set aside the exam in front of him. Carlos observed him nervously. A neat stack of graded exams sat on his left, much larger than the ungraded stack on his right. The Professor said nothing, only bit his lip, a sign Carlos came to know as him contemplating.

"Could you please close the door, Carlos?" The Professor asked. Carlos nodded and went to close it. The way Redwood said his name, along with the fact that they were both alone, caused a few snippets of rumors to surface in his head.

About how the Professor was extremely friendly to students. About how the Professor was single and lived alone on Seven Island. About how a few students had sworn they had seen him stare at student's asses as they walked past in the hallway. About how after a kid entered his classroom during his lunch hour without knocking, students began calling him Professor Hard-wood when he wasn't around.

"Thank you," The Professor said after he heard the door shut. Carlos nodded again, trying his best not to show how nervous he was about the situation.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about Professor Har-Redwood?" Redwood looked up, giving a small smile.

"Please Carlos, call me John." The Professor's smile widened a bit, showing perfectly straight and white teeth.

Carlos briefly took in Redwood: An intelligent, twenty-three year old man who worked as a Pokémon Professor, researcher and high school teacher. Wide shouldered and tall, he had once said he was the quarterback for his high school football team, three years in a row. It didn't seem that he had abandoned any type of workout regimen from then; there were some days when he wore certain shirts that revealed a lot of his large biceps, perfect pectoral curvature and the light outline of washboard abs. The borderline bodybuilder had brown hair, accompanied by a light brown goatee, which fit nicely with his caramel colored skin. In Carlos's opinion, the professor had too many good features. Admitting the man's charm to himself made Carlos blush.

"Okay…John." John nodded and stood up. He walked slowly to the windows, looking outside.

"Carlos, I know I've told you this before, but you are a bright student." John turned around to look at Carlos. Carlos made sure to keep himself showing signs of nervousness. "You have a lot of potential. I graded most of the tests, and so far, you're the only student who didn't miss a single question. Your essay completed the picture perfectly."

"Thank you Professor."

"John"

"Right. John."

"Few students are as good as you are. I know you do well in your other classes too. That's why I feel you are responsible and intelligent enough to handle a…special request."

Carlos gulped. Here it comes: the proposal. Carlos didn't think he would be able to handle it if John got on one knee and asked to marry him.

"A close colleague of mine, Professor Oak, asked me to be on the lookout for potential Pokedex holders. I know you have what it takes to do it right."

"You want to know if I want to travel around with a Pokedex?"

"Yes, what did you think I was going to ask?" John questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, I wasn't sure. But that sounds great! What do I have to do?" Carlos asked, pushing dirty thoughts out of his mind.

"For now, I just needed to know if you were interested in the task. I'll contact Oak later today for more information and I'll tell you everything you need to know before you set your mind to it."

"Alright, thank you John."

"Of course Carlos. Have a good afternoon."

"Same to you."

Carlos left the room and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Professor Redwood was attractive and all, but Carlos wasn't even sure if the man was into guys, especially younger guys. Rumors were rumors until proven truths. Besides, Carlos was still going to be seventeen for another two months. No use in getting the man arrested if he did roll that way.

There were two options Carlos considered as he made his way out of the school. The first option, he keeps close contact with the Professor via email and the 'just-friends" phone calls until his eighteenth birthday, when he could make advances on the hunk without getting the law involved. Or the second option, Carlos keeps their relationship strictly professional in case this Pokedex quest requires them to keep in touch, and if it doesn't, completely forget about him.

Carlos finally exited the school. He hadn't realized what a beautiful day it was. The sun was out, a slight breeze whipped up every now and then, carrying with it that distinct ocean smell. Carlos walked on a worn path that led down from the hill the school was on. It curved through a small grove of trees on the outskirts of the town that ended at the docks where the boats picked up and dropped off passengers.

Since commuting between islands was so necessary, public transportation was conveniently available for everyone. Anyone could find a boat and hitch a ride to their Sevii Island destination, as long as they had their Rainbow Ticket. Carlos spotted a public transportation boat and made his way towards it.

"Ticket please," A sailor asked as Carlos boarded the boat. He showed his ticket and took a seat near the entrance. The spot would have a great view of the ocean once they took off, but for now, Carlos waited until the scheduled take off time, which would probably be in ten minutes or so. He noticed there were other students from school who were also waiting on the boat, and by the looks on them, they had been waiting a while. He also noticed that one of them was looking at him, and he stood up to approach Carlos.

"Hey Carlos," He greeted. Carlos smiled.

"Hi Isaac, how are you?" Isaac smiled back and took the empty spot next to Carlos. Isaac was Carlos's closest friend. He happened to be a tan, sensitive jock nearly rivaling John Redwood in physique, although he was only a few, noticeable inches taller than Carlos. He had brown-blonde hair and hazel eyes that had hypnotic like qualities when stared into. Or maybe that just happened to Carlos. Isaac groaned and turned to Carlos.

"I'm worn out. My head literally hurts from all those tests I took today. Especially English, and Chemistry, and all the other ones." Isaac stretched back and Carlos glanced briefly at his belly button, now visible that his shirt had been pulled up from the stretch. Isaac noticed his staring, but didn't say anything.

"I didn't think they were so bad," Carlos added a moment later. He looked up, right into Isaac's eyes, and looked away towards the ocean.

"Says Mr. Smarty-pants. I bet you didn't study as hard as I did last night. Eight hours straight." Carlos turned back at him.

"You realize that's called cramming. It usually doesn't do any good to study that way. I only reviewed the hard stuff yesterday, for about an hour." Isaac noticed Carlos's eyes had wandered down to his belly button again, and he stretched even further. Carlos caught an eyeful of the bottom of Isaac's well defined six pack and obliques. Carlos looked away again.

"Well, what do you have planned for the rest of today? Anything fun? Or are you just going to sit at the beach and stare at the ocean all evening?" Isaac smirked and Carlos laughed.

"No, you silly meathead jock, I'm going to review for tomorrow, then stare at the ocean. Did you forget already?"

"Forget about-OH! Right, the Mt. Ember challenge."

The Mt. Ember Challenge: the second part of their exam. If a student wanted to graduate from any school at the Sevii Islands, the final obstacle to overcome was the Mt. Ember Challenge. As island tradition, every new trainer had to undergo this two-day survival test. First, Trainers received their starter Pokémon, then were paired up with someone else and thrown into the wilds of Mt. Ember on One Island, with only a few supplies at hand. To add to the difficulty, each team was given a list of items to go hunt down, and they had to collect all the items before the end of the two days. This was done to test whether the student was ready to go travel the world on their own. From what Carlos had heard before, it wasn't hard for anyone with a brain.

"Yeah, that."

At that moment, the captain gave a sign to the sailor, who untied the boat from the dock. The captain gave a quick announcement about their departure, along with some small safety reminders. Then the ship was off.

Isaac settled back down, much to Carlos's relief. Carlos's eyes and mind tended to wander whenever a good piece of man was around, whether it happens to be teacher or friend. Even more so when skin and muscle was shown.

"Carlos, do you mind if I take my shirt off? I'm starting to get hot in it." Carlos's heart jumped in his chest.

"A little. Can't you wait until you get home?" Isaac laughed a little, reaching back to rub his neck.

"I'll try. Actually Carlos, I have a favor to ask you…" Carlos looked at him curiously.

"That depends what it is." Isaac leaned onto Carlos, wrapping one of his heavy, muscled arms over Carlos's shoulders. Their sides were pressed together, warmth transferring from Isaac to the smaller teen. Carlos suddenly felt tingly. His cheeks reddened a little and butterflies gathered in his stomach.

"You have to say yes. For your one and only best friend Isaac." Carlos nervously licked his lips.

"What do you want?"

"Can we be partners on the Mt. Ember Challenge?" Carlos rolled his eyes. He grabbed Isaac's thick arm and slipped it off him, moving a little away from Isaac in the process.

"I don't know. Are you going to make me do all the work?"

"Maybe..." Carlos crossed his arms and looked away. "I was kidding. I'll help." Carlos continued to look away. "Please, I promise I'll do my part."

Carlos turned back. Looking at Isaac's puppy-eyed expression, he couldn't hold his frown. Carlos broke into a grin.

"Considering I might get a weaker and lazier partner assigned instead, I suppose we can pair up."

"Yes!" Isaac threw his arms up in victory.

"But!" Isaac's smile weakened, his arms lowered slightly.

"But what?"

"You have to study tonight too. Not as much as yesterday though." Isaac's bit his lips.

"I...might need help with that. How about I come over to your house and we study together?

"Yeah." Isaac grinned, satisfied, and pulled out his MP3 player and headphones. Carlos turned his gaze towards the sea. It calmed him down a bit, but he could still feel his heart beating in anticipation for tomorrow and maybe a little for this coming evening.

...

Author's Note:

Constructive comments are welcome, along with anything else that caught your attention for whatever reason. One thing I would like to know, since it's what I get hung up on most when writing the stories. Too much detail? Too little? Not in the right places? Or should I keep going like this?

Thank you for reading!


	2. Unlike Any Other - Chapter 2

Unlike Any Other: Chapter 2 – Preparations

...

The boat made stops at Four Island and Five Island before they finally arrived at Six Island. Carlos didn't mind that it had taken twenty minutes to get to his home island; that meant he had plenty of time to let his thoughts wander and body relax with the peaceful sight of the sea.

He got off the boat, with Isaac a few steps behind him.

"So Carlos, what time should I head over to your house? Or do you want to come over and study at my place?" Isaac asked as he caught up with Carlos and walked alongside him.

"Let's study at my house right now. My parents don't get home from work until about three hours. We won't need more time than that." Isaac nodded and the two walked in silence. Six Island was one of the peaceful Islands. It didn't have any large malls like One Island and Three Island did, or any kind of tourist attractions like Seven Island with its Trainer Tower.

They walked towards the south end of the island. Carlos's home was on the farthest end of town, barely considered part of it. Isaac's home was more near the center of the town. Carlos enjoyed isolation from being far from town; it gave him a comfortable thinking environment.

They finally spotted Carlos's humble home. A two story, three room house painted a light shade of blue. It was kept as nice as any modern home located on the main lands: It was well maintained, had plumbing, electricity, his mom's vegetable garden (which Carlos helped tend to) and his dad's work shed, referred to as 'the man cave' by his mother.

Carlos opened the fence enclosing his house and unlocked the front door. They stepped into the empty house, which at the moment, smelled slightly of Tomato berries.

"Let's go to my room," Carlos said before leading the way. Isaac had been to his house before, so it wasn't a mystery to him when they walked across the hall into the bedroom on the first floor, right across the guest bedroom, where Isaac slept on his late night stays. Carlos's parent's room was on the second floor.

"Still as boring as ever," Isaac commented before receiving a slight sock to the shoulder. Carlos's room had a neatly made bed, a television in one corner, a bookshelf, full of books, next to his closet, and a desk by the window.

"It's better than your messy room."

"Hey, my room is a man's room. Men don't spend more time cleaning than working out," Isaac replied, "and they don't alphabetize their books either."

"I do that because... oh, shut up." Carlos couldn't think of a comeback, and instead proceeded to drop his backpack by the wall.

"Let's go eat something before we start." Carlos changed the subject and walked to the kitchen. Nothing in the pantry, but Carlos smiled when he found a large plastic container full of spaghetti in the fridge.

"Looks like my mom left me some spaghetti to eat." He turned to Isaac, who was already sitting at the table, grinning.

"Don't you mean 'us'?" Carlos sighed and heated up the food.

...

Carlos watched Isaac disappear in the distance. He was feeling really confident at the moment. They had a successful study session, interrupted near the end with the arrival of Carlos's parents. Nonetheless, important material that they were most likely to forget was reviewed. Carlos had also shared his list of supplies with Isaac, since he had lost his at school. The list contained items that were allowed to be taken on the Mt. Ember Challenge, although there was a limit of how much a trainer could bring. Both teens coordinated on the items they would take, to avoid bringing an excess of one thing or lack of another. Final preparations for the day would include looking for his assigned items.

A clattering from his dad's shed drew Carlos's attention. He opened the door to find a hand reaching out from under a pile of random junk. Faint protests and grunts could be heard underneath. Carlos proceeded to dig his father out.

"Thanks kiddo." His dad greeted before handing the teen a large bag. "I found the tent you needed."

"Thanks dad." He nodded and Carlos helped put away the mess.

Back inside the house, Carlos assembled all his supplies in a large waterproof backpack. He went over the list again to make sure he had everything. Once finished, he got ready for bed.

...

Carlos sat at a bench by the docks on Six Island, waiting for Isaac to show up. His backpack lied on the ground next to him, holding the items he would need for the challenge.

His foot wouldn't stop it's tapping, or his mouth from grinning. Today was the day he had been waiting for ever since he was young, when he had first learned about Pokémon. Finally he would be getting his own, and his anticipation only made time seem to pass by slowly.

He heard a clatter behind him. Carlos turned towards Isaac, currently on the ground picking up some of his dropped supplies. The teen sighed before getting up to help his friend. It was a good thing he had slept early; today would be a handful, with the challenge and, probably, having to watch after Isaac.

The boat arrived on schedule and the two boys went aboard. The ride to One Island would take longer than what a normal school ride would take. On one hand, that would give him some thinking space and ocean staring, both of which he enjoyed doing.

On the other hand, nothing to do would allow doubts to surface in his mind. Doubts about whether he was really prepared for survival on his own. That would add to the nervousness he already felt about the Challenge. He briefly remembered a rumor about a pair of boys who had died on Mt. Ember. Then again, it was only a rumor.

Unlike the usual quiet rides, he decided talking with Isaac would help him relax. Surprisingly enough, their discussion lead to an interesting conversation about chairs. By that time, the boat docked on One Island.

The Pokémon Center was visible from where they got off. It was a red roofed building with a Pokeball logo as a sign. All centers had at least two floors. The main floor served as a reception center and lobby. The underground floor served as the technology center with phones, computers and other communication equipment.

Since the invention of the centers, new innovations have been thought of to cater to the needs of the hospital and trainers. This included having all the Pokémon Centers have two wings interconnected along with the main building. One wing would include room and board for traveling Pokémon trainers. The other wing was a larger expansion of the hospital, where appropriate and effective medical care could be administered.

Overall, it was a working design that kept the trainers, nurses and Pokémon satisfied.

According to the Professor, they would meet up in the Center's lobby. No one was in the lobby at the moment, except the receptionist that glanced at them before resuming her computer work. They didn't wait long, as the other students and eventually Professor Redwood arrived shortly after. The hunky adult looked around and spotted Carlos.

"Hello you two. How are you this morning?" John greeted when he approached the teens. Carlos smiled politely and Isaac only nodded.

"I'm doing well. I'm especially excited about getting my Pokémon," Carlos replied, but Isaac said nothing. He left the two and took a seat at the lobby chairs farthest from them.

"Good news Carlos," John continued, almost as if Isaac hadn't been there, "I managed to communicate with Professor Oak yesterday."

"What'd he say?"

"He's really excited that you are considering it. When I talked about your credentials, he was more than impressed and thought it would be good for you to not only travel with a Pokedex, but compete in the Pokémon League as well."

"That means I have to gather all the badges from the gym leaders of a region. Did he specify which region I am going to explore?"

"Ultimately, that choice is up to you," John replied. "But if you hadn't set your mind to a region yet, he strongly recommended traveling around Kanto. It has a lot of historical remnants scattered around towns and routes, along with new innovations in the cities. I think you'd enjoy Kanto."

"Actually, that does sound like a good region for me to begin at." John nodded in agreement.

"Other than that, Oak told me that all you have to do is carry around the Pokedex. It'll automatically take records and data of Pokémon you encounter. It's a lot more advanced than the first Pokedex that was invented. It will do a full scan of the Pokémon's DNA, along with other details that I can't remember. It'll really help with the research. Plus you'll get paid for it! " John paused to look at his wristwatch.

"Anyway, that's all that you really need to know. Since Oak may be busy most of the time, you are to report anything new to me, usually one or two reports a month will do. If any questions come to mind, feel free to ask me after the Challenge."

John walked off towards the reception counter, while Carlos took a seat next to Isaac.

"So, what did Redwood want with you? Seems like something special is going on between the two of you," Isaac inquired, causing Carlos to blush.

"No, it's nothing! He's just helping me with some journey preparations. That's all."

"What kind of preparations?" Isaac pushed a bit, leaning into Carlos.

"Fine, I'll tell you," Isaac loosened a bit on him. "He's helping me get a Pokedex to take on my journey."

"Really?" Isaac exclaimed excitedly. "That's awesome! Those things are hard to get a hold of, I heard."

"I don't think researchers are too fond of the idea of giving high tech encyclopedias to just any teenager."

Looking around the lobby, they could see why the researchers had trouble trusting teens. Some guys in a corner were shoving each other and laughing. A group of girls sat in a uniform line adjusting their make-up.

As often was the case, new teenage trainers ended up settling down sooner and quitting training if their hearts weren't seriously set on Pokémon from the get-go. That wasn't to say there weren't plenty of serious trainers coming into the scene, but failures were still possible.

"Excuse me everyone, could I have your attention?" Redwood got ahold of the PA system built in the center. Everyone looked towards the counters, but it wasn't the professor or other assistants that attracted their attention. It was the polished, power-radiating Pokeballs neatly aligned atop the counter. The talking immediately died down.

"First off, I want all of you to refrain from letting your excitement take the best of you. Everyone will get a fair chance to choose between three starters. I advise that you not bring your hopes up on any specific starter you had in mind; chances are it won't be among your options."

A few groans came from the students. They had formed a group in front of the reception counter, with Carlos and Isaac far in the back.

"We will begin with the explanation of the Challenge,"

It was a good thing Carlos was in the back of the crowd. John wouldn't be able to see his bored face that would eventually settle from hearing the story about tradition and adulthood. The important parts of the speech included the bonfire graduation ceremony that would occur at the end of the second day, where all the trainers who completed the challenge would receive their diplomas and trainer ID. Trainer ID is required for Pokémon Center facility usage.

"And that concludes the traditional Mt. Ember Challenge speech," John finished with a look of pride. Anyone would be proud if they managed to memorize that entire speech. "Please form lines at the tables that indicate the first letter of your last name."

Despite the warning to stay calm, most of the trainers rushed to their appropriate line. Carlos failed to make it in the front half of his line. There were about seventeen others in front of him. God only knew how long it would take for them to choose their starter before he had the chance to choose.

Then came John.

"Hey Carlos, I have…another special request." Carlos sighed inwardly, faked a smile and followed him towards a quiet corner.

Once the two sat down, John began searching through the pockets of his lab coat. Once again, thoughts of marriage proposals and engagement rings surfaced in his mind. To Carlos's surprise, John pulled out a Pokeball. Unlike the traditional red and white Pokeballs, this one had ocean wave stripes of blue, starting with a blue circle in the white on the top, light blue in the middle and dark blue underneath - a Dive Ball if Carlos remembered correctly.

"Carlos, inside this Pokeball is a…unique Pokémon." He gently handed the ball over to Carlos. The teen cradled the ball in his palm, curiosity urging him to open it.

"I might be asking a lot from you to consider taking this Pokémon as your starter. It's a Totodile, but not a common one like you'd expect." Carlos looked up from the ball.

"What do you mean? What makes it uncommon?" John seemed hesitant to reply, almost as if the answer would scare Carlos from accepting the Totodile.

"This Totodile…it seems to have a severe case of hormone imbalances." John watched for a negative reaction, and receiving a neutral expression, continued. "These hormones are produced spontaneously at times, or may be provoked by its environment. They cause Totodile to have mood swings, ranging from mild to extreme. He may suddenly get depressed, furious or hyper when these hormones play out. Again, the severity and length are unpredictable."

Carlos processed the information. A crazy Totodile: it sounded like too much work would go into the Pokémon, but it wasn't his fault either.

"I'm…not sure. I can't promise that I'll know what to do." John reached to take the ball, but Carlos pulled it out of reach. "I still want to try to raise it." John smiled.

"That's a relief to hear. Totodile has been passed up so often before, I started to think it wouldn't get a trainer. I think he was starting to lose hope as well."

"That's not a problem anymore."

"You're right. And all the time Totodile spent in the lab gave us some hope for recovery: I've noticed that these hormone imbalances have slowly receded over time. Totodile's body is fixing the problem, and I'm sure a journey with a kind trainer will speed up the process."

"I don't doubt that." Carlos stood up and attached the ball to a ball strap on his belt. He couldn't help but smile. His first partner, right at his side, gave him a sense of companionship and safety. The other five empty straps made him even more eager to begin his journey.

...

Again, all constructive comments are welcome!


	3. Unlike Any Other - Chapter 3

Unlike Any Other: Chapter 3 – The Challenge Begins

…..

The rest of the preparations for the Mt. Ember Challenge passed quickly after the starter selections. Carlos received his scavenger satchel, a bag for holding the items he would have to hunt down, and paired up with Isaac.

While Isaac went off to get some items from a far table, generously donated by the local Pokemart, Carlos looked at the list of items he and Isaac would have to search for:

Energyroot, Calcium, Zinc, Cheri Berry, Sitrus Berry, Blue Apricorn, Black Apricorn, Mushrooms, Big Mushrooms.

He had an idea of where he could find these items, but it would still be difficult to find them all if they dawdled. Of course, everyone had a different list of items, so it wouldn't help much to meet together with other pairs and share findings.

Isaac returned with the items: three Pokeball, five water bottles, ten lava cookies, five Oran berries and some Pokefood, for each of them.

Finally, everyone headed outside. They boarded the large boat on the dock that would drop them off at the island. The pairs would start off at different locations, all on the South end of Mt. Ember Island. Professor Redwood had warned them that the North end of the island was prohibited, as it contained powerful Pokémon and dangerous mountain terrain. Most of the challenge would be done in the plains, forests, beaches and rocky terrain of the South end. As it turned out, part of the mountain extended into the South end, although it was mostly submerged in the North end.

The North end was enclosed by a large fence, to keep people from accidentally wandering into it. This divided the island into two halves, although the south half of the island was large enough that the teams had small chances of running into each other.

Soon enough, they spotted the island. The boat quickly approached it, and oddly enough, their first stop was right at the fence. Redwood stood up.

"The first team that will be dropped off is…Isaac and Carlos." The teens grabbed their bags and waved at the other teens, who wished them luck. They exited onto a small dock and with that, the boat took off, out of sight.

"Looks like they couldn't stand us anymore," Isaac commented. Carlos chuckled and began walking away from the beach, towards the line of trees that separated the sand and forest.

"What do you think we should do?" Carlos asked, sitting down on a flat rock.

"I think we should catch ourselves our first wild Pokémon!" Isaac sat next to Carlos and laid back on the rock. Carlos looked back to him.

"Are you sure that's a good first step? How about we search for a suitable campsite first?" Isaac sat up and jumped off the rock.

"I have a better idea! How about we have a battle!?" Carlos grinned and got back on his feet.

"I don't see why not…well, actually…I haven't talked to my Pokémon since getting him."

"Hmm, I haven't either," commented Isaac. Carlos smiled at his next idea.

"We should properly meet our first partners before battling," Carlos suggested. Isaac smiled along with him. He flung the ball attached to his belt into the air, and a burst of white light after, a toddler sized red lizard stood on the sand, tail ablaze.

"Hi Charmander, I'm your new trainer. My name's Isaac." He knelt down next to the red lizard and shook his red claws. The little lizard smiled and beamed happily.

"I'm glad you like me, I like you too. I'm sure we'll have an awesome time from now on," Isaac said before looking at Carlos, "Now it's your turn!"

Carlos excitedly threw his ball up. The Dive Ball glowed blue before releasing its contents in a burst of blue light. The small crocodile creature emerged, immediately running towards Carlos before the trainer could react. The force knocked Carlos off his feet and luckily the sand cushioned his fall. If the little blue Pokémon was any bigger, his hug would have had enough strength to crack a few of Carlos's ribs.

"Hi Totodile," Carlos greeted, gently petting the blue crocodile's back. Totodile looked into Carlos's eyes, his eyes full of gratitude and joy. "I'm your new trainer, Carlos." The teen returned the hug and picked himself up off the sand.

"It seems your Totodile likes you a lot already!" Carlos set Totodile on the ground and brushed the sand off.

"The feeling is mutual," Carlos smiled down at Totodile, "and you know what we can do now."

"Yes, I do," Isaac said. Both teens' smiles were replaced by a more serious expression.

The Pokémon stared as their trainers put some distance between each other, then realizing what was going to happen. Isaac decided to start the battle.

"Go Charmander! Use Ember!" The red lizard jumped in the air and shot a small ball of fire towards Totodile.

"Water Gun!" Totodile shot a stream of water, which collided with the fire and cancelled out in a hiss of steam.

"Quick, move in with a Scratch!" Carlos ordered. While Charmander landed, Totodile caught up to him and landed a good amount of swipes.

"Hit back with your own Scratch, Charmander!" Isaac retaliated. The red lizard began his own onslaught of swipes. The match seemed pretty even at the moment, which didn't settle well with Carlos.

"Water Gun!"

"Ember!"

Both Pokémon released their attacks at the same time. Like previously, the attacks cancelled out, but the Pokémon were close enough to the attacks that the small explosion pushed them away. Both Pokémon landed next to their trainers, panting but still on their feet.

"I think that's a good enough first battle. Let's call it a tie," Carlos said, recalling Totodile back into his Pokeball. Isaac nodded and did the same. Both trainers walked towards each other and met halfway. Their faces broke into a smile and they shook hands.

"I'm happy I had my first battle with you," Carlos said.

"So am I. Next time though, I'll be the one who wins!" Isaac exclaimed before smiling.

"Sure you will," Carlos replied. Both teens laughed before heading towards the forest. Unknown to the boys, a shadowy figure had watched the two since they arrived on the island. The figure slunk quietly back into the forest.

…..

Carlos checked his watch. It was already eight and still no sign of Isaac.

"He said he'd be back by now…" Carlos reminded himself.

After their battle, Isaac and Carlos had set out towards the forest. After wandering around for a good half of the day, they had located an ideal campsite, a source of clean water and some berry bushes. They had also run into some wild Pokémon, although none were really a threat to their safety. Some just watched as they walked by, while the stronger ones challenged the trainers.

It was after setting up camp that Isaac volunteered to go out and look for some of the scavenger items. The two had agreed that Carlos would guard the campsite while Isaac went out to search.

While waiting for him, Carlos spent some time training Totodile. He wanted to see how well the little Pokémon could fight. Judging from the damage on some trees Carlos decided to demolish, it looked like Totodile's physical attacks were stronger than his special attacks. That was expected, but he still needed to see how well Totodile's defenses stood up. From what he had seen earlier, Carlos figured Totodile was pretty nimble and quick on his feet.

Footsteps behind him drew Carlos's attention. He saw Isaac walking into camp, smiling as he held up the satchel. Although not completely full, it looked like it had quite a few contents in it.

"You were supposed to be back a good while ago," Carlos said, "But I suppose it's alright since you're back now."

"I know. I'm sorry about that," They both sat down on a log. Isaac emptied the contents of the satchel onto the ground.

"Wow, good work," Carlos praised, sifting through the pile, "You even found some Zinc rocks and Energy Roots. I thought these were going to be hard to find."

Isaac grinned. "It was no big deal. I remembered how you told me to look for the plants with the five pink petals. I also had to dig for those rocks, but it wasn't too hard when I had Charmander help me."

Carlos finished looking through the pile. Isaac had done well to also find mushrooms, and Cheri Berries, adding them to the Sitrus berries they had found on the way."

"Now we only have to look for some Calcium, Black apricorns and Blue apricorns. We can do that tomorrow, but for now, I say we should start a fire."

Isaac took out his Pokeball and called out his Charmander.

"Hey Char, want to start our fire?" The lizard smiled and nodded. He took a deep breath and released a small stream of fire. The cut up pieces of wood, courtesy of Totodile, in the center of a ring of rocks easily caught fire and a decent sized fire blazed.

Carlos called out his Totodile too, and the four of them admired the fire. They sun had already began to set, so the fire seemed to glow brighter as the minutes passed.

It was Totodile's growling stomach that brought them out of their trance.

"I think now would be a good time to eat something," Isaac suggested. Carlos nodded and grabbed their bags from inside the tent. He gave Isaac his bag while he brought out some canned food and a pan from his own. While Carlos prepared his and Isaac's food, Isaac set down two bowls and filled them with Pokefood for Charmander and Totodile. Soon the food was warmed and they began eating.

"You know, this doesn't seem much different from when we used to go camping," Carlos commented between a bite.

"Yeah, but the only difference is that we have our own Pokémon with us," Isaac added.

"And it's also…uh, never mind," Carlos's cheeks turned red at a sudden thought.

"And what?" Isaac asked, filling up his bowl again and sitting back down next to Carlos.

"I was just thinking, that this is the first time it's just been you and I camping," Carlos answered, "Well, only in the sense that we don't have one of our parents watching over us."

"That's true. I guess that's the whole point of this challenge. To test whether we can handle being on our own, without our parents."

While Isaac made a good point, that wasn't really where Carlos's train of thought had travelled. He was thinking more about how it was just the two of them, unsupervised in the middle of a forest. He felt a little courage well up in him, tempting him to admit to Isaac that Carlos felt something for him. Then again, it probably wasn't the best time to convey his feelings for Isaac. It would only make things awkward between them. After all, they'd be sleeping in the same tent tonight.

Carlos only nodded and finished eating his food. He noticed the Pokémon had already finished their Pokefood and were slightly nodding off.

"Ready for some sleep Toto?" Carlos asked Totodile. The little blue Pokémon nodded before yawning. Carlos called him back into the Dive Ball and stood up.

"I think we should also get some rest soon," Carlos suggested.

"I think so too," Isaac replied, "It would be a good idea to start the day off early tomorrow, in case things don't go like we plan."

Isaac recalled his Charmander and began helping Carlos clean up the dishes. Unnoticed by the two teens, a cloaked figure observed them from behind a tree a few yards from the camp. The figure had contemplated for a good while, and decided to leave them in peace…

…for now.

…..

The morning sun shot light through the gaps among the trees. Carlos felt warmth nudge him from his slumber. He opened his eyes, and as he attempted to sit up, a weight around his chest kept him down.

Carlos looked next to him to find Isaac half lying on him. Isaac's bare arm was draped over Carlos's midsection; it almost seemed like Isaac was holding him despite still being asleep. Carlos could only guess at how Isaac had managed that while still keeping himself in his own sleeping bag.

As much as he enjoyed the close contact, Carlos moved the arm off himself without waking Isaac. He exited the tent and took a moment to stretch.

The clear sky was a good indicator that the day would be relatively calm weather-wise. The morning chill had already faded away, replaced with warmth from the sun's rays.

Isaac followed him out of the tent. It seemed he was a little less awake because he nearly stumbled out of the tent while attempting to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning Carlos," Isaac yawned.

"Good morning Isaac," Carlos returned. Isaac began stretching as well, which was Carlos's cue to look for something to occupy himself with. He didn't want to get caught looking at Isaac's exposed abdomen.

"Hey Carlos, do you think it would be a good idea to go for a swim before heading out?" Isaac asked as he sat down on the log they occupied the night before.

"I don't think so," Carlos replied. He surveyed the camp, thinking what to do next. "We should pack things up here first, and then head towards the pond that was ten minutes away. You can take a swim there, and we'd probably run into some apricorn trees on the way."

They began to pack things up and soon had everything prepared for departure. They left towards the pond, unaware that they were being followed by a mysterious and silent figure.

They finally arrived at the pond. Half of it was surrounded by trees, while the other half opened up to a meadow. A steady stream flowed in from among the trees, leading all the way back from the Mt. Ember.

"It's a lot more peaceful than last time," Carlos mused, recalling that when they first passed by they were attacked by a swarm of Pidgey.

"Yeah, and now we can take a dip!" Before Carlos could say anything else, Isaac was running towards the water. His discarded clothes trailed behind him, and Carlos picked them up as he followed Isaac.

Isaac dove in, emerging seconds later soaked from head to toe in cool pond water.

"Come on in!" Isaac called. Carlos laughed as Isaac attempted to splash water on him from afar.

In his mind, Carlos was a little afraid of going in the water with Isaac. It wasn't a phobia of water or of any sorts. It was that Isaac was wearing nothing but his boxers, his body in all its toned glory for the whole world to see. Well, for now, it was only Carlos and any wild Pokémon that may pass by who'd see.

Even a glimpse of the nearly naked Isaac was enough to compare to the when Carlos had last seen him in the same state, which was last summer. For one, Isaac was taller and had larger muscles. The most noticeable change was the addition of the six-pac that drew Carlos's attention more than Isaac realized. Of course, the glistening sheen of water on Isaac only added to the sight.

"One of us has to guard our supplies," Carlos replied, attempting to hide what he was really thinking. Isaac rolled his eyes before wading out of the pond. He walked up to Carlos with a frown.

"You're taking this way too seriously. Just relax, will you?" Isaac said as he shook Carlos by his shoulders. Carlos made an effort to avoid eye-raping, touching, and popping a boner at Isaac all at once.

"I-I just don't think now is a good time," was Carlos's only reply. He became more aware of Isaac's hands on him, the small space between them, and the intensifying effect Isaac had over his emotions.

Carlos lightly pushed Isaac's hands off him before walking under the shade of a tree by the pond. He set his and Isaac's things on the grass before sitting down.

Isaac sighed before following him and sitting next to him.

"Tell me what's wrong," Isaac said in a low voice. Carlos didn't look towards him, but Isaac knew he had been heard.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Carlos asked, attempting again to brush of what he really felt. He ran his hands through the grass, stared up at the leaves rustling at a slight breeze, doing something to occupy himself. He wanted to avoid reality for a bit, to fool himself into thinking that nothing is wrong when deep down he knew he shouldn't bottle it up.

"I can tell. If nothing is wrong, look me in the eyes and say it," Isaac said, in such a serious voice that surprised Carlos.

"It's nothing, really. I-"

"Look at me…please," Isaac said again. His voice was softer this time, more pleading and expectant.

Carlos couldn't take it anymore. His hands let go of the grass, his eyes met Isaac's.

"I have a crush on you."

…..

Constructive criticism and comments welcome!


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